living simply

“ 'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free”. The Shaker hymn has always been dear to me; not least because its open-spaced and perfectly poised melody makes such a perfect fit with the spirit of the plain, graceful words.

A Leicestershire MP has been spending the first few weeks of the political year, the month of October, living on £5 a day. He kick-started this new lifestyle by taking part in the Evangelical Alliance initiative 'Simplify'.

The average UK household spends £443 a week, with £58 on recreation & culture and £62 a week on transport. But what if we didn't? What if we said ‘no’ to all this spending and settled on just buying what we need?